System and method for managing consumable return refund processing

ABSTRACT

Account manager systems and methods are disclosed for managing consumable return refund programs for repaid document processing devices, in which automated or semiautomatic refunds are provided by adding account credits to prepaid customer accounts and/or by directly applying print units to specific document processing devices for customers who return spent consumable products.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure is generally related to operation and managementof document processing devices such as printers, scanners, copiers,combination scanner-printer-copier machines, and the like in accordancewith customer accounts.

The disclosures of the following U.S. Patents and Patent Applicationsare hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties: U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/364,224, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FORTRANSMITTING PROOF OF PAYMENT FOR “PAY-AS-YOU-GO” MULTI-FUNCTIONDEVICES”, and filed Feb. 2, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/424,820, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING CONTRACT-FREE‘PAY-AS-YOU-GO’ OPTIONS FOR UTILIZATION OF MULTI-FUNCTION DEVICES”, andfiled Apr. 16, 2009; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/424,858,entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SELECTIVELY CONTROLLING THE USE OFFUNTIONALITY IN ONE OR MORE MULTIFUNCTION DEVICES AND SUBSIDIZING THEIRUSE THROUGH ADVERTISEMENTS”, and filed Apr. 16, 2009; U.S. Pat. No.6,940,613, entitled “SYSTEM FOR MANAGING REPLACEABLE MODULES IN ADIGITAL PRINTING APPARATUS”, and issued Sep. 6, 2005; U.S. Pat. No.6,076,076, entitled “PREPAID PRINT CARD SYSTEM AND METHOD”, and issuedJun. 13, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,999, entitled “FORMS AUTOMATIONSYSTEM”, and issued Oct. 8, 1996; U.S. Patent Application PublicationNo. 2007/0094148, entitled “METHOD OF LICENSING FUNCTIONALITY AFTERINITIAL TRANSACTION”, and published Apr. 26, 2007; U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2004/0125397, entitled “LICENSING METHOD FORUSE WITH AN IMAGING DEVICE”, and published Jul. 1, 2004; and U.S. PatentApplication Publication No. 2004/0153415, entitled “METHOD OF LICENSINGFUNCTIONALITY AFTER INITIAL TRANSACTION”, and published Aug. 5, 2004.

Document processing devices are often employed in networked systems inbusiness and academic sites providing users the option of sending agiven print job to one of several devices for processing. Organizationsemploying multiple document processing devices desire options forfinancing and tracking printer utilization, and may prefer to pay forprint services and related devices and materials based on usage ratherthan paying up front for equipment and consumable accessories. Moreover,manufacturers and resellers of document processing devices desire theability to provide such account options to end-users. The conventionaloffice equipment use model has been for the end customer to acquiredocument processing devices along with associated consumables, either ona paid-up or leased model. A leased model may include provisions thatallow the customer to be billed on a periodic basis for use of theequipment and consumable supplies, with the charges including leasepayments for the equipment as well as charges for use of consumables.The act of returning spent toner cartridges and other replacedconsumables requires extra effort by the user that often prevents themfrom supporting return requests and sponsored recycle, reclaim programs.Accordingly, there is a need for improved methods and systems formanaging document processing device consumable usage and implementingconsumable replacement return programs for document processing devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Account manager systems and methods are disclosed for managing prepaidconsumable return refund programs in which automated or semiautomaticrefunds are provided to customers who return spent consumable productsused in document processing devices by crediting customer accountsand/or by applying print units directly to document processing devices.While conventional return/refund programs tended to suffer from limitedcustomer participation, the presently disclosed techniques initiaterefunds by automatic addition of credits to the customer account, and incertain cases, to also perform direct application of print units to thespecific document processing device from which a returned consumableproduct came, and thus can provide an effective incentive for customercompliance beyond that possible in conventional programs.

In accordance with certain aspects of the disclosure, methods andaccount management systems are provided for managing prepaid consumablereturn refund programs in which account information is stored includingan available credits value indicating an amount of account creditscurrently available to a customer account, and an association isdetermined of a consumable with a particular customer account. Themethod further includes automatically adding credits to the particularcustomer account and adding a corresponding number of new credits to theavailable credits value for the particular account for a full or partialreturn refund associated with the consumable. The account crediting incertain embodiments may be done (in whole or in part) when or after thecustomer installs a replacement consumable and/or when the replacedconsumable is returned, and the customer may be provided with anautomatic notification of the addition of account credits. In certainembodiments, moreover, the account information further includes currentpricing information for converting account credits to print units forspecific document processing devices, and print units are automaticallyapplied to the particular document processing device for the full orpartial return refund associated with the returned/replaced consumable,with or without automatic notification of the print unit application,either when a replacement consumable is installed or when a returnedconsumable is received. In other embodiments, print units are directlyapplied to a specific document processing device without interveningaddition or conversion of account credits.

The determination of association between a returned consumable and aspecific document processing device is done in some embodiments based inwhole or in part on the stored account information. In certainembodiments, the account information includes device subaccountsindividually associated with a particular document processing devicewith device identity information as well as consumable identityinformation, where the association for initiating the return refundactions is determined at least partially based on the documentprocessing device and consumable identities in the account information.In certain embodiments, for example, the consumable identity may bereceived in a message from a particular document processing device forupdating the account information, such as where the document processingdevice reads a serial number from an electronic memory in theconsumable. In some embodiments, the device subaccount informationincludes document processing device identity information as well asinformation indicating the number of print units used by the particulardocument processing device, in which the association of the consumablewith the particular document processing device is determined at leastpartially based on the total print units used information of the accountinformation. In other embodiments, document processing device identityinformation is obtained from the consumable after the consumable isreturned, such as by reading an electronic memory on the consumable thatwas written by the document processing device in one implementation. Insome embodiments, a consumable level is monitored for a particulardocument processing device, and when it is determined that the deviceneeds or will soon need a replacement consumable, the system causes areplacement consumable to be shipped to the customer for the particulardocument processing device. In some implementations, the customer may beautomatically notified at the time of replacement shipment, and theautomatic account crediting/print unit application can be performed thenas well in some embodiments. Moreover, the addition of account creditsand/or application of print units can be partitioned in certainembodiments, for instance, with a partial refund being initiated when areplacement is shipped or installed, and with a remainder being refundedwhen the spent consumable is received at a return center.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present subject matter may take form in various components andarrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements ofsteps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferredembodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the subject matter.

FIG. 1 is a system diagram illustrating an exemplary commercialenvironment with an account manager and various resellers and customersites networked in which one or more aspects of the present disclosuremay be implemented;

FIG. 2 is a system diagram illustrating further details of an exemplarycustomer networked computing environment with a plurality of usercomputers with printer device management agents, and with a plurality ofprinter, scanner, copier, and multi-function type document processingdevices that may be managed according to various techniques of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating exemplary account informationstored in the account manager system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating further details of anexemplary document processing device registered to an account managed bythe account manager system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of theaccount information stored in the account manager system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of thedocument processing device;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary operation of a customerdocument processing device;

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for buyingand applying credits to one or more document processing devices;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for updatingaccount information in the account manager system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process forconverting previously applied print units to account credits and fortransferring print units from one document processing device to anotherin a customer account;

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process for a userto perform printing operations on a public device registered to a vendoraccount using credits from the user's account via the account managementsystem and techniques of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process in which theaccount manager system automatically adds account credits and appliesdevice print units for a returned and/or installed consumable product;

FIG. 13 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process in which adocument processing device reads the identity from an installedconsumable and notifies the account manager system which establishes adevice/consumable association used to initiate one or more automaticrefund actions;

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary process inwhich a document processing device writes a device identity into acustomer replacement unit monitoring (CRUM) memory of an installedconsumable for later use in initiating automatic refund actions when theconsumable is returned;

FIG. 15 is a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary process inwhich the account manager system initiates shipment of replacementconsumables based on monitored consumable levels and performs automaticrefund actions based on shipment and/or return of replaced consumables;and

FIG. 16 is a flow diagram illustrating another exemplary process inwhich the account manager initiates automatic consumable replacementactions based on inferred association of returned consumable with adocument processing device identified based on total print units usedinformation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 shows a networked commercialenvironment 2 with one or more networks 10 interconnecting a server 100with one or more resellers 200 and customers 300, where access to anaccount manager system 104 implemented in the server 100 is accomplishedvia a portal 102. The server 100 can include a single computer processoror multiple processing elements, and the server 100 may be implementedas a single integrated processor-based structure including memory or maybe implemented in distributed fashion including multiple structures,some of which are processor-equipped. The account manager system 104 canbe any suitable combination of processor-based hardware, logic,processor-executed software, firmware, or combinations thereof, and maybe implemented in a unitary platform (e.g., server 100) or indistributed fashion across multiple processor-equipped devices. In theembodiments, the reseller(s) 200 and customer(s) 300 include resellerand customer networks, respectively, with computers at the reseller(s)300 and customer(s) 300 being equipped with agent software programs(e.g., customer agents 360 in FIG. 1) operative to allow authorized,secure, encrypted communication between authorized reseller/customerpersonnel and the account manager system 104 through access via theportal 102. Moreover, the customer agents 360 provide for operation andmanagement tasks between customer document processing devices 320registered to a customer account and the account management system 104via the portal 102, and also allow customer to use the agent 360 tocommunicate with one or more processing devices 320 coupled to acustomer network 302. The customer network 302 may include any form ofelectronic communication network(s) by which the devices 320 cancommunicate directly or indirectly with the customer computers 330and/or with the account manager system 104, including without limitationdedicated networks, internet connections, and may include connection ofone or more devices 320 with the account manager system 104 viatelephony networks (wired and/or wireless or combinations thereof).Thus, the network connection of the devices 320 includes situations inwhich a primary network connection is inoperative (“network down”condition) with recovery or alternative communications means (e.g.,telephone line connection to the devices 320) being provided as analternative for communication between the devices 320 and the accountmanager system 104 for validation or other steps.

Referring also to FIG. 2, an exemplary distributed customer computingenvironment is illustrated, including two exemplary logical devicegroups 310 a and 310 b, each including one or more computing devices330, some of which are equipped with agent components 360. In theillustrated environment, the computers 330 are selectively authorized toprint or initiate other document processing operations via the devices320 or predefined subsets of the devices 320, for example, byappropriate password entry & verification via the customer's network 302and associated network elements and/or by access/usage control featuresimplemented in the devices 320 themselves. The individual groups 310also include one or more document processing devices 320. Theillustrated customer computers 330 and device 320 are operativelycoupled via a customer network 302 which may be any suitable form ofcommunications network or interoperative networks. In addition, one ormore print servers 50 are coupled with the network 302, where certainportions of the network 302 may be interconnected by cabling or one ormore portions may be wireless, and where one or more exemplary computers330 d and 330 e are illustrated in FIG. 2 with operative communicativecoupling to the network 302 being implemented using a wireless networktransceiver interface component 340. Any number of user computers may beoperatively coupled to the network 302, including without limitationdesktop computers 330 a and 330 b, laptop computers 330 d and 330 e, andany number of document processing devices 320 may be coupled with thenetwork 302. Different forms of document processing devices 320 arenetworked together in this example to provide the user computers 330with a broad range of document processing options available for a givenprint job or other task. One or more of the devices 320, moreover, areregistered to one or more customer accounts and are operable via thenetwork 302 or by users actuating on-board controls (e.g., buttons,keypads, etc.) for copying and scanning operations and other tasks. Thedocument processing devices 320 may include one or more managedconsumables 322 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 below) such as non-print media itemsor materials consumed by the device during document processingoperations, including without limitation toner, ink, a replaceable fusermodule/component, replaceable imaging units, waste toner bins, transferbelt, or the like.

The exemplary document processing devices 320 shown in FIG. 2 includerelatively low throughput externally fed color as well as black andwhite desktop printers 320 a and 320 b, respectively, intermediate speeddrawer fed color and black and white printers 320 c-320 e, high volumecolor as well as black and white printer/scanner/copier (i.e.,multi-function) devices 320 f-320 h, a desktop combinationprinter/scanner/copier 320 i and a combination printer and facsimilemachine 320 j. Document processing devices 320 may include any deviceoperable to perform one or more document processing functions, includingwithout limitation printers, scanners, copiers, combinationscanner-printer-copier machines, and the like. In FIGS. 1 and 2, thecustomer network 302 and the external network 10 can be arranged in anysuitable configuration for example star, ring, bus, tree, mesh, etc. orcombinations thereof, and may be a wired network, a wireless network, orcombinations thereof, wherein the illustrated customer network 302 ofFIG. 2 provides one or more wireless nodes 340 for connectivity forportable laptop computers 330 d and 330 e through various WiFi or otherwireless means.

The devices 320, moreover, are configured to allow normal customer/userinitiated operation based on available print units applied to the device320 in accordance with a customer account administered via the accountmanager system 104, and may optionally be authorized by the accountparticulars to perform at some low level of functionality even when theapplied print units are depleted as discussed further below. By thisdevice functionality, all or at least certain aspects of the actual orexpected cost of document processing operation of a given device can beattributed to the customer based on usage, including the initial devicecost, cost of consumables 322, costs for servicing (e.g., repairing,troubleshooting, etc.), costs for access to customer support, and otherassociated costs, rather than being paid up front by the customer.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 3, usage of the devices 320 is managed viathese prepaid accounts by the system 104 using various accountinformation 110 stored in a data store operatively coupled with theserver 100, where the data store can be external or internal to theserver 100 or combinations of internal and external storage. The accountinformation 110 is stored for a plurality of accounts, for example, afirst account for management of prepaid devices 320 of the first devicegroup 310 a in FIG. 2 and a second account for devices 320 of the secondgroup 310 b, and account information is also stored for multipledifferent customers, including those customers or ‘vendors’ thatregister so-called ‘public’ devices 320 as discussed further below inconnection with FIG. 11.

As best shown in FIG. 3, the account information 110 for individualaccounts includes general account information 111 a (e.g., account ownername, address, billing information, authorized users, etc.), a creditsused value 111 b, for instance, indicating the number of credits thathave been previously applied to devices 320 to date from accountinception, or in a given predefined period (e.g., year-to-date, etc.),and an available credits value 111 c indicating an amount of accountcredit units currently available to the account for which thecorresponding customer has previously paid and which can be applied toone or more devices 320 by customer-initiated request. The availablecredits information 111 c in certain embodiments includes two or morevalues indicating credits available for different departments ororganizational entities within a given customer enterprise. The accountinformation 110 in this embodiment also includes credit transferinformation 111 d and reduced functionality permission information 111 e(described further below in connection with FIG. 3).

The account information 110 for a given account also includes currentpricing information 112 including at least one conversion factor forconverting account credits available to the account to print units forspecific document processing devices 320 registered to the account. Thecurrent pricing information 112 for individual accounts in thisembodiment includes device type pricing information 112 a including atleast one price factor 112 a 1 for each specific document processingdevice type for converting account credits to print units, and at leastone print unit price modifier 112 a 2 for each of a plurality ofdifferent specific document processing device types for increasing theprint unit price if a given customer account provides for including oneor more additional cost factors for consumables, service, and support inthe print unit price. The pricing information 112 also provides customerspecific pricing information 112 b including discount information 112 b1 and modifier flags 112 b 2 indicating applicability of one or more ofthe print unit price modifiers 112 a 2 for the given customer account.

In some embodiments, different discount information 112 b 1 can beprovisioned in the account information 110 for specified documentprocessing devices 320 obtained by a given customer from differentresellers 200 and/or for specified document processing devices 320obtained in different locations or regions, thereby providing resellerflexibility in offering discount incentives to select customers on aglobal or locality basis. Program provisions can be associated withspecific account numbers prior to a reseller offering the accounts forsale to end-customers 300, for example, where the account particularsinclude account pricing (conversion rates for converting credits intoprint units), print unit valuation equivalent to typical print imagesbased on coverage, color content, etc., inclusions of service, suppliesand media, various incentives, etc. The pre-established accountparticulars can be associated with a device 320 upon account initiationprior to delivery to the customer 300. In addition, promotionalincentives like time frame duration and/or number of printed images canbe managed in concert with product usage information associated with andtracked by a customer account, for instance, by tracking use debits andcredit balance payments and various particulars of image content.

Account credits are a global currency, which may, but need not, be tiedto one or more official government monetary currency value (e.g., Ncredits per U.S. dollar, etc.) thereby allowing customers to purchasecredits for their account(s) using any form of legal payment (e.g.,payment obtained and verified electronically via financial institutions,credit organizations, etc.) or direct monetary payments, whether inDollars, Euros, Yen, etc., with the account manager system 104 beingoperative to obtain current exchange rate information and make anynecessary conversions from a given legal currency payment amount to anaccount credit amount. Print units, on the other hand, are valued for agiven device type and possibly other factors, in terms of units peraccount credit on a transactional basis at the time of a user request toapply account credits to a particular document processing device, withthe valuation being in terms of document processing operations, forinstance, one print unit per monochrome page printed by a device 320, 5print units per printed color page, where a processed ‘page’ as usedherein is a single side of a printed media sheet (or a single page of amulti-page document or print job being scanned or operated on by adevice 320), such that a device 320 consumes one print unit for printingmonochrome images, text, etc., on a single side of an output sheet,consumes 5 print units for printing color images, text, etc. on a singleside of a printable medium, and consumes 2 print units to printmonochrome images, text, etc. on both sides of a printable media sheetin one example. The application of credits to devices 320, moreover, maybe done with respect to integer and/or fractional credits and printunits. For example, the customer may specify a given amount of accountcredits (in whole credits or fractions thereof) to be ‘applied’ to adevice 320, and the account manager system may present the customer withthe number of converted print units for that device 320, and the devicemay be adapted to accept fractional print unit amounts or the accountmanagement system may perform rounding to provide only integer printunit amounts, with any fractional values being retained as fractionalcredits in the customer account.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the account information 110 also includesregistered device information 114 with device subaccount information 115for a plurality of device subaccounts individually associated with aparticular document processing device 320 registered by the customer tothe account. The device subaccount information 115 for individual devicesubaccounts includes a device serial number 115 a to identify devices320 registered to the account, a device mode indicator 115 b (e.g.,including a value indicating toner out, a value indicating whether ornot the corresponding device 320 is managed by the system 104, etc.), aremaining print unit value 115 c indicating the amount of print unitspreviously applied by the customer to the particular document processingdevice 320 and currently available to enable the particular documentprocessing device 320 to perform document processing operations, atleast one current page price ratio (CPPR) value 115 d indicating thenumber of applied available print units the particular documentprocessing device 320 will consume to print a color page, a totalapplied print units value (TAPU) 115 e, and a total print unit used(TPUU) value 115 f indicating the total number of print units used bythe corresponding document processing device 320. In addition, thedevice subaccount information 115 includes registered consumable(s)information 115 g including consumable information 116 for one or moreconsumable individual components 322 operatively associated with theparticular document processing device 320 with a consumable serialnumber or other identifier 117, and a remaining print units value 118 inone example.

In operation, a customer can request an estimate of remaining pages fora specific device 320 registered to the customer's account via an agent360 and the portal 102, and the account manager system 104 in oneembodiment will provide the remaining print units count value 118 inresponse. In certain implementations, the customer can use the agent todirectly obtain this count value from the device itself via the agent360 and the customer network 302 (e.g., the device 320 will report thecurrent remaining print units value 323 e from its internal data inmemory 323 as shown in FIG. 4). In certain embodiments, the accountmanager system 104 may provide the customer with an estimate of thenumber of remaining mono and color pages printable, for example, byanalyzing historical print data (color vs. mono printing) for theparticular device 320 and use this in conjunction with the CPPR value115 d to estimate the number of mono and color pages for the customer.The account information 110 can thus accommodate multiple accounts formultiple customers 300, each associated with multiple documentprocessing devices 320 of an unlimited number of different device types,where the devices can have one or more identified consumables 322 formanagement by the account manager system.

Referring also to FIGS. 4 and 7, an exemplary document processing device320 is shown in FIG. 4 with a processor-equipped controller 321 and amemory 323, where the device 320 is programmed or provided with suitableprocessor-executed software, firmware, logic, etc. to controllablyprovide document processing functions such as printing, faxing,scanning, or combinations thereof and to implement the print unitconsumption features of a device registered to an account managed by theaccount manager system 104. In the illustrated example, a communicationsinterface 326 provides for interfacing the device 320 with the customernetwork for communicative exchange of data, information, print jobs,etc. with other networked devices, computers, etc., including usercomputers 330 and agents 360 thereof, and with the account managersystem 104 via the portal 102. In addition, the device 320 includes oneor more document processing components or systems, such as one or moreprint engines 325, a scanner 328, media supply 324, and consumable(s)322, and other such devices (e.g., scanners, sheet feeders, etc., notshown). The memory 323 in this example stores program code andprocessor-executable instructions for implementing the devicefunctionality, as well as local data to support this operation,including the current device mode information 323 a (e.g., correspondingto the mode information 115 b in the account information 110 in FIG. 3),one or more current page price ratio value(s) (CPPR) 323 b(corresponding to the CPPR value(s) 115 d), a TAPU value 323 d(corresponding to TAPU value 115 e), a TPUU value 323 d (correspondingto TPUU 115 f), and consumable information 323 f obtained fromprocessing elements of the consumable(s) 322 via the controller 321(corresponding to consumable information 116 in FIG. 3), where thecustomer agent 360 operates when possible to obtain information from thedevice 320 (while device 320 is connected to the network 302), andupdates the account information of the account manager system 104accordingly.

FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary operation of the document processing device320 in a process 400, in which the device 320 is initialized orregistered at 402 to one or more customer accounts by the customer 300or by a reseller 200, and one or more print units are applied to thedevice 320 by the customer via a customer agent 360. The example of FIG.7 is illustrated and described in the context of a printing operation,but similar operation is provided for any other form or type ofcustomer/user-requested document processing operation by a device 320.At 404, the device 320 receives a print job from the customer network302 (alternatively print job may be part of a copy operation initiatedat the device 320 itself, or a print job could be provided by a computer330 connected to the device 320 even if the device 320 is currently notconnected to the network 302). At 405, in one embodiment, the device 320optionally selects an appropriate current page price ratio (CPPR) from astack 119 (FIG. 6 below) of page price ratio (PPR) values 119 aaccording to the current value of the total print units used (TPUU) 323d and according to a threshold value TPUU_(TH) 119 b in the stack 119.At 406, the device 320 in one embodiment determines the cost forperforming the job in terms of print units according to the coverage andcolor content on a page-by-page basis using CPPR value(s) 323 b (FIG.4), and a determination is made at 408 as to whether the remaining printunits (value 323 e in FIG. 4) is less than a threshold. In otherimplementations, the device 320 may determine the job cost based oncolor content for the entire job (i.e., page cost determined to be‘color’ for each page if at least one page of the job uses color).

As shown in FIG. 3, the device subaccount information 115 for individualdevice subaccounts in certain embodiments may include a plurality ofdifferent current page price ratios 115 d indicating the ratio of thenumber of applied available print units particular document processingdevice 320 will consume to print a color page vs. that of a monochromepage, which correspond to different page coverage levels for color pagesof documents to be processed. Moreover, the device 320 likewisemaintains a corresponding plurality of CPPR values 323 b as shown inFIG. 4. In this manner, the account manager system 104 authorizes aspecific document processing device 320 to determine page coveragelevels for a given color page of a given print job and to consume acorresponding number of available print units to print the given colorpage according to the corresponding current page price ratio 115 dchosen based on the coverage. The CPPR selection for coveragedifferences can be done in some embodiments on a page-by-page basis. Inother embodiments, the device 320 may be configured to determine anaverage coverage level for all or a subset of the pages of a given jobsand select the corresponding CPPR 115 d for the entire job. Moreover,the account manager system 104 may provide the devices 320 with multiplepairs of page price ratio (PPR) values 119 a and corresponding thresholdvalues (TPUU_(TH)) 119 b with each pair corresponding to a differentpage coverage value, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In certain embodiments,CPPR may be applied based on printing over a time period, such as daysor weeks, or be based on attainment of cumulative totals for a number ofpages or jobs.

Returning to FIG. 7, if the required number of print units is available(NO at 408), the print job is processed by the device 320 at 410, andthe process 400 returns to await the next document processing task/jobat 404. If, however, the remaining number of print units is below thethreshold (YES at 412), the device 320 reports the remaining print units(value 323 e in FIG. 4) to the user (e.g., via an on-board displayand/or via a print driver employed in submission of the print job), andreports the remaining print unit value 323 e to an agent 360 via thecustomer network 302 if currently connected thereto. At 414, the printjob is processed by the device 320 (if possible using remaining printunits), and the value 323 e is decremented according to the cost of theprocessed job. Otherwise, a determination is then made at 416 as towhether any print units are left in the device 320 (e.g., whether thevalue 232 e has reached zero). If the device is depleted (YES at 416),the device 320 notifies the agent 360, which then notifies the accountmanager system 104 of the empty status of the device 320, and theaccount manager system 104 may optionally allow the device 320 toperform at a predetermined reduced level of functionality at 418 (e.g.,only print monochrome, only print small jobs, only perform faxing andscanning, etc.) according to the reduced functionality information 111 e(FIG. 3). At any point, moreover, authorized customer personnel mayapply additional print units to the device at 420 via an agent component360 and the account manager system 104, after which the unit returns tonormal operation. In this manner, the operations of the devices 320 arecontrolled by the selective application of print units, without whichthe device 320 will not print (other than the optional accountprovisions for reduced functionality operation with account-specifiedrestrictions).

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary process 500 by which the accountmanagement component 106 of the manager system 104 (FIG. 1) adds creditsto an account at 510 and applies print units to a device 320 at 520 uponcorresponding request(s) from a customer of a specified account via anauthorized agent 360 and the portal 102. In the illustrated process 500,the customer and/or agent 360 are notified at 502 that a particulardevice 320 has no remaining print units (or that the print unit level isbelow a threshold value, as discussed in FIG. 7 above). At 504, thecustomer employs the agent 360 to access the device 320 through thecustomer network 302, and obtains the remaining print unit count (e.g.,value 323 e in FIG. 4) from the device 320. At 508, the customer agent360 accesses the account manager system 104 via the network 10 and theportal 102, updates the corresponding customer account with theremaining print count value (e.g., value 115 c in FIG. 3 above), andobtains the corresponding account information 110 for informing thecustomer of the current account status, such as currently availablecredits that can be applied to the empty device, current pricinginformation, etc.

At 510, the account manager system 104, upon customer credit purchase or‘buy’ request via the agent 360 and portal 102, selectively adds creditsto the specified account at a current rate and add a numbercorresponding to a paid amount of new credits to the available creditsvalue 111 c for the specified account if and when the payment for suchby the customer is verified. In this example, the agent 360 requests theaddition at 512 via the portal 102, and arranges payment, such as via anelectronic third party payment mechanism, not shown. At 514, when theaccount manager system 104 is able to verify the customer payment, itadds available credits to the corresponding customer account, and thusincrements the value 111 c in the account information 110.

At 520, the account management component 106, upon a request from thecustomer via the authorized agent 360 and the portal 102, applies printunits to a specified document processing device 320 associated with thespecified account by converting a number of credits currently availableto the specified account into a number of print units according to thespecified document processing device 320 and the current pricinginformation 112 for the specified account at the time of the request. Inthis example, the customer requests application of print units at 522 tothe device using available account credits. At 524, the account managersystem 104 converts account credits to print units using the currentpricing information 112, and updates the total applied print units(TAPU) value 115 e in the corresponding device subaccount information115. In one embodiment, account manager system 104 updates a stack 119(FIG. 5 below) at 525 with a new pair of page price ratio (PPR) andthreshold values TPUU_(TH) 119 a and 119 b, respectively, by setting thenew TPUU_(TH) to the pervious TAPU value (i.e., the total applied printunits (TAPU) value before the current application of further printunits). The account manager system 104 sends a message at 526 to thedevice to add the applied print units (via the agent 360). The device320 then updates its internal remaining print unit count value 323 e andits total applied print units (TAPU) values at 528. In this regard, itis noted that the valuation of the print unit cost is done at the timeof application of print units to devices 320, and not when credits areinitially bought by the account holder, whereby the system 104 isoperative to track sales transactions at the appropriate time when thecustomer actually purchases the value of the prospective documentprocessing services, which may include consumable, service, support, andother cost factors.

It is further noted that the interaction of the account managementcomponent 106 of the system 104, the agent components 360 on thecustomer computers 330, and the devices 320 can be implemented usingmultiple messages for requests, confirmations, authorizations, dataexchanges, value updates, and other tasks, and the messages can becreated and transmitted via any suitable network protocols, etc., andwhere the messaging is preferably controlled by appropriateauthorization, password permission control, encryption, and othertechniques to prevent uncontrolled print unit creation withoutauthorization by the account manager system 104, and to guard againstunauthorized access to the account information 110. In an alternativeimplementation, the concept of print unit deficiency notice may besupplemented or supplanted by an arrangement to use a low or out printunit threshold to trigger an automatic purchase of additional printunits.

Referring also to FIGS. 5 and 6, the account manager system 104 and thedevices 320 in certain embodiments implement an adaptive form of pageprice ratio adjustment to accommodate changes in the relative cost ofprinting color versus monochrome pages for a given device 320. Forexample, a ratio of three (3) may apply for a given document processingdevice 320 (e.g., according to the device type, the customer accountparameters negotiated with the reseller 200, customer region, etc.) atan initial period of time, and this ratio may thereafter change to two(2). The change in the page price ratio may be a negotiatedcustomer-specific arrangement, such as a discount for color printing ina given year or other time period after a certain threshold number ofprint units are used by that device (e.g., TPUU value 323 d in thedevice memory 323, value 115 f in the corresponding device subaccountinformation 115). In another example, the ratio may change to reflectchanges in consumable costs, such as a decrease in color toner cost,with savings passed on to the customer. In order to accommodate suchpotential changes while minimizing large potential swings in the costsexperienced by the customer, the account manager system 104 correlatesthe ratio with applied print units at the time these are applied to agiven device 320, and the device 320 will use the ratio correlated withspecific print units as these are expended in performing documentprocessing operations. Thus, for a given device having a large number ofprint units remaining unused when a page price ratio change occurs, thenew ratio will not be applied to the previously applied print units.

To implement this approach, the account manager system 104 and thedevices 320 maintain corresponding information stacks 119, where thedevice subaccount information 115 for a given device 320 in the accountmanager system 104 includes a stack 119 as shown in FIG. 5, and thedevice memory 323 also stores a corresponding stack 119 as shown in FIG.6. As described above and shown at 525 in FIG. 8, each time new printunits are applied to a given device 320, the account manager system 104constructs and sends a message to the device 320 (via the portal 102 andcorresponding customer agent 360), including a new stack entry having apage price ratio (PPR) 119 a that is set to the present value of theCPPR 115 d at the time the print units are applied. The account managersystem 104 also sets a threshold TPUU_(TH) 119 b in the stack to theprevious total applied print units (TAPU) value 115 e of the devicesubaccount information 115. The system 104 then increases the TAPU value115 e to reflect the application of new print units for that device 320and sends one or more messages to the device 320 to provide the stackentry pair PPR 119 a and TPUU_(TH) 119 b to the device 320 and toauthorize the increase in the device's remaining pint units value 323 efor the application operation. The device 320, in turn, updates itsstack 119 with the new entry pair PPR 119 a and TPUU_(TH) 119 b andincreases its remaining print units value 323 e in the memory 323.

During printing or other document processing in this embodiment, (asdiscussed above and shown at 405 in FIG. 7) the device 320 compares thepresent value of the total print units used (TPUU) 323 d to thethreshold entries 119 b in the stack 119 and sets its current page priceratio (CPPR) value 323 b to the PPR 119 a corresponding to the highestthreshold TPUU_(TH) 119 b that is less than or equal to the present TPUUvalue 323 d in the memory 323. In this manner, the device 320 consumesprint units using the page price ratio applicable at the time theexpended print units were applied to the device 320, and only uses thenext subsequent PPR when the TPUU reaches or exceeds the correspondingthreshold TPUU_(TH) 119 b.

Referring also to FIG. 9, the account management component 106 isfurther operative to update the account information 110 of a customeraccount via a process 600. In one embodiment, the updating is periodic,such as daily or hourly, although aperiodic updates are possible, suchas through customer initiation at any time, and the updates could beinitiated based on other criteria, for example, number of prints, creditbalance, etc. In practice, the customer agent component 360 can polldevices 320 connected at a given time to the customer network 302(although the devices 320 need not be connected to the network 302 toperform document processing operations), and to obtain the deviceaccount information, and then forward the gathered data, in whole or inpart, to the account manager system 104 via the portal 102. At 602 inFIG. 9, an update is initiated by a predefined periodic update timebeing reached or by initiation from a customer via an agent 360. At 604,the agent 360 obtains current remaining print unit count valueinformation from devices 320 registered to an account, and the agent 360updates the system 104 with the values and other data via the portal 102at 606. The account manager system 104 thus receives updated remainingprint unit value(s) 115 c for one or more document processing device(s)320 from a customer via the authorized agent 360 and the portal 102, andupdates the registered device information 114 of the account information110 for the specified account for the document processing device 320.

Referring also to FIG. 10, a process 700 is illustrated for convertingpreviously applied print units to account credits and for transferringprint units from one document processing device 320 to another in acustomer account. In one implementation, the account managementcomponent 106 directly converts print units from a first device 320 toprint units for the second device 320 using the current pricinginformation associated with those two devices 320, generally as a singletransaction from the customer's perspective, with the first device'sprint unit count 323 e, 115 c value being reduced and the seconddevice's value 323 e, 115 c being increased accordingly withoutmodifying the account credit value 111 c. Alternatively, a firsttransaction is used to transfer print units from the first device andconvert these into account credits, and then a second transactionconverts account credits and applies print units to the second device,where this form of implementation is illustrated in the embodiment ofFIG. 10. At 702, the customer employs an agent 360 to access a firstdevice 320 via the customer network 302 and obtains the remaining printunit count from this device at 704. At 706, the customer uses the agent360 to transfer print units from the first device 320 to a second device320 registered to the account. At 708, the agent 360 accesses theaccount manager system 104 via the portal 102 to initiate the print unittransfer. Any number of devices may be involved in print unit or accountcredit transfers, as example, from one device split for transfer at somedesired ratio to two other devices or credits taken from two devices andapplied to a third or to the general account so credits may be laterallocated to one or more devices as desired.

At 712, the account manager system 104 converts a number of print unitspreviously applied to the specified first device 320 into a number ofaccount credits available to the specified account according to thespecified document processing device 320 and the current pricinginformation 112 for the specified account at the time of the requestedtransfer, updating the corresponding available account credits andauthorizing the agent 360 to reduce the first device's remaining printunit value 323 e (an also updating the print unit value 115 c in thestored account information 110). At 714, the account manager system 104applies print units to the specified second device 320 according to thecustomer request by converting converted account credits into a numberof print units for the second device (320) according to the currentpricing information (112) for the specified account at the time of therequest, and the corresponding values and account data 110 are updated,with the agent 360 being authorized to apply the print units to thesecond device. At 716, the agent 360 updates the first and seconddevices 320, and the devices 320 update their internal count values at718.

Referring also to FIG. 11, an exemplary process 800 is shown for a userto perform printing operations on a public device 320 registered to avendor account using credits from the user's account via the accountmanagement system 104. This process is implemented via the accountmanager system 104, with the account management component 106 allowing auser at 802 to establish a user account and to add credits to the useraccount (e.g., 510 in FIG. 8 above) via a user-authorized agent 360 anda portal 102. At 804, a vendor is allowed to register a particulardocument processing device 320 to a vendor account as a public device320 via a vendor-authorized agent 360 and the portal 102. The user at806 connects to the vendor public device 320 via a vendor network. Inone situation, the vendor is a print/copy service with a wirelessnetwork in their lobby, and with one or more printers, copiers, faxmachines, or other document processing devices 320 designated for publicuse (by registered users) and registered to the vendor's account. Auser, such as a business traveler, having a registered user account withthe manager system 104 enters the vendor site with a laptop computer,and accesses the vendor's wireless network and discovers one or moreprinters available to print a job for the user. At 808, the user submitsa print job to a selected vendor printer device 320 (a public device),and an agent component 360 on the laptop computer connects to theaccount manager system 104 via a portal 102 to request usage of thevendor's public device 320.

The account manager system 104 receives the request at 810, and appliesavailable print units at 812 to the public device 320 (associated withthe vendor's account) via a vendor-authorized agent 360 operativelycoupled with the public device 320, and the manager system 104 convertsa number of credits currently available to the user account into anumber of print units according to the public device 320 and the currentpricing information 112 for the vendor account at the time of therequest. The vendor device 320 then prints the user's job at 814, andthe account manager system debits the user's account credits at 816according to the number of print units used by the vendor public device320, based on the pricing information established in the vendor'saccount.

The disclosed methods and account manager systems thus facilitateaccounting, provisioning, and controlled usage of a variety of differentdevices 320 associated with an account, allowing pricing for printing,scanning, faxing, support etc. to be tailored according to the type ofservice or product model, as well as selective inclusion of costs forconsumables 322, service, and support according to specific accountsestablished for different customers, and for different locations orregions, and any other account-specific factors arranged by amanufacturer implementing the account management system 104 and/or by areseller 200. The architecture, moreover, allows pricing changes to bemade easily by simply updating the account credit-to-print unitconversion information (pricing information 112) at the managementsystem data store. The system 104 also facilitates transfers of prepaidprint units from one device to another as well as from a device 320 backto a customer account, thereby enhancing a customer's ability to manageprinting devices and users. The customer is also able to selectivelyinclude various print unit pricing options, including service,consumables, and/or support, which can vary with the device age and theamount of usage within a given time period, thereby providing betteradaptability for valued customers. The plan terms and provisions,moreover, are easily altered by changes to the stored accountinformation 110 by agreement with specific customers. The system alsoallows consumables, such as toner cartridges, to be transferred from onedevice 320 to another, with the receiving unit reading the consumableidentifier (e.g., serial number) and updating the management systemaccount information accordingly. Moreover, the systems and methodsdisclosed above allow a specific device 320 to operate at predeterminedreduced functionality levels if the device print units become depleted,for instance, where the printer is disconnected from the network 302,thereby allowing the customer to maintain operation until more printunits can be applied via the account manager system 104.

Referring also to FIGS. 12-16, certain embodiments of the accountmanager system 104 advantageously provide automated or semiautomaticrefunds for customers who return spent consumable products 322 used inor with the document processing devices 320, including withoutlimitation toner, toner or ink cartridges, ink, replaceable fusermodules/components, replaceable imaging units, waste toner bins,transfer belt, or other non-print media items or materials consumed bythe device 320 during document processing operations. In conventionalreturn/refund programs, the customer is asked to return empty tonercartridges or other spent consumable items to the manufacturer orreseller 200, and upon receipt thereof, the customer is sent a refundpayment or is provided with a coupon usable to purchase further productsfrom the manufacturer/reseller. In practice, however, customers have notconsistently complied with such programs. In order for manufacturers orresellers to successfully implement a recycling provision of aconsumable product lease arrangement, fuller customer participation isfacilitated by the account manager system 104. In this regard, theaccount manager system 104 is configured in certain embodiments toinitiate refunds by automatic addition of credits to the customeraccount, and in certain cases, to also perform direct application ofprint units to the specific document processing device 320 from which areturned consumable product 322 came. Thus, while manufacturers andresellers 200 cannot realistically force customers to return consumables322 designated as part of a recycling provision of a product lease orconsumable purchase program, the automated refund aspects of the accountmanager system 104 can provide an effective incentive for customercompliance beyond that possible in conventional programs. The system 104thus facilitates materials reclaim and socially responsible expendeditem disposal or recycling for consumables 322 provided as part of theprepaid program as well as for externally sourced consumables.

One exemplary process 900 is shown in FIG. 12, in which the accountmanager system 104 automatically adds account credits and if possible,applies device print units as a credit or refund incentive for areturned and/or newly installed consumable product 322. At 910, theaccount manager system 104 verifies that a replacement consumable 322has been installed into, or that a replaced consumable 322 has beenreturned from, a document processing device 320 registered to a customeraccount. The account manager system may verify the association of aninstalled/returned consumable 322 with a particular customer account byany suitable means or techniques, and various techniques may be used topotentially associate a returned consumable 322 with a particulardocument processing device 320, several of which are illustrated anddescribed in greater detail in connection with FIGS. 13-16.

If the identity of the source device 320 (device ID) is known (YES at912), the account manager system 104 is programmed to automatically addaccount credits to the associated customer account at 920 (e.g.,increasing the available credits value 111 c in the account information110 for that customer account in FIG. 3), and to automatically applyprint units at 930 to the identified document processing device 320 (anapply operation similar to that described at 524-528 in FIG. 8 above,without requiring customer action). In certain embodiments, the returnrefund can be performed as a single operation to apply a full or partialrefund amount directly as applied print units without first addingaccount credits.

In the example shown in FIG. 12, the account manager system 104 convertsaccount credits (e.g., those added at 920) to print units at 932 usingthe current pricing information 112 (FIG. 3), and updates the totalapplied print units (TAPU) value 115 e in the corresponding devicesubaccount information 115. In one embodiment, account manager system104 updates the stack 119 at 933 with a new pair of page price ratio(PPR) and threshold values TPUU_(TH) 119 a and 119 b, respectively,(FIG. 5) by setting the new TPUU_(TH) to the pervious TAPU value (i.e.,the total applied print units (TAPU) value before the currentapplication of further print units). At 934, the account manager system104 sends a message to the device 320 to add the applied print units(via the agent 360). At 936, the device 320 updates its internalremaining print unit count value 323 e (FIG. 4) and its total appliedprint units (TAPU). As in the user-requested print unit applicationdescribed above, the valuation of the print unit cost is done at thetime of application of print units to the device 320, and the system 104tracks the refund transaction. In certain embodiment, moreover, theaccount manager system 104 sends an email at 937 to notify the customerof the application of print units to the particular document processingdevice 320.

In situations where the customer identity is known, but the sourcedevice 320 is unknown (NO at 912), the account manager system 104 can beconfigured to either add account credits and notify the customer or tonotify the customer and provide a means for the customer to initiateaddition of account credits for the refund amount. In one example (940and 942 in FIG. 12), the account manager system 104 automatically addsthe refund amount of account credits to the associated customer accountat 940 by increasing the available credits value 111 c in the accountinformation 110 (FIG. 3), and may send an email to the customer at 942with a notification that credits have been added. In this regard, theemails sent to the customer at 937 and 942 preferably include anindication of the type of consumable 322 that was returned and theamount of credits applied (as well as the identity of the device 320 towhich print units were added at 937) in order to provide timelyinformation that will encourage/reinforce the customer's actions inreturning used consumable products 322 to the manufacturer/reseller.

In another example (946 and 948 in FIG. 12), if the customer identity isknown but the specific source device 320 is unknown (NO at 912), theaccount manager system 104 sends an email to the customer indicatingthat the returned consumable 322 has been received (and/or a newconsumable 322 has been installed), and providing a promotion code for agiven amount of account credits. The email may provide a website link orinstructions for the customer to access the account manager system 104(e.g., via an agent 360 on a customer computer 330 and the portal 102 inFIGS. 1 and 2 above), and the customer then uses the agent 360 at 948 toinitiate addition by the account manager system 104 of the refund amountof account credits by entering the promotion code. As noted in theprocess 900 of FIG. 2, the account manager system 104 may be configuredto initiate one or more automatic or semi-automatic consumable refundactions, such as adding account credits, applying print units, etc., atvarious times, including without limitation when a replacementconsumable 322 is installed into a device 320, when the consumable 322is received at a return center, or both. For example, in oneimplementation, a partial refund may be provided when the product 322 isinitially installed, and the remainder of the refund may be providedwhen the spent consumable 322 is returned.

Referring also to FIG. 13, the consumable product 322 in some instancesmay include onboard electronics with readable and/or writable memory,such as a customer replaceable unit monitoring (CRUM) memory, tofacilitate determination by the account manager system 104 of anassociation between a specific device 320 and a returned/installedconsumable 322. FIG. 13 shows a process 950 in which a customer installsa consumable product 322 into a document processing device 320 at 951.At 952, the device 320 reads a consumable identity (e.g., serial numberor other identifying information) from the CRUM memory of the installedconsumable product 322 (e.g., upon initial consumable installation oranytime thereafter). Alternatively, such information can be entered intothe device 320 by the customer via a device user interface or via agentapplication 360 on a customer computer 330 (FIG. 1 above). The device320 may store the consumable identity (ID) in its internal memory at 952as consumable information 323 f (FIG. 4). At 953, the device 320forwards the consumable ID to the account manager system 104 for storagein the account information 110 (via an agent 360 and the portal 102),and the account manager 104 stores the consumable ID 117 in thecorresponding device subaccount information (FIG. 3) at 954. At thispoint, the account manager system 104 has an established associationbetween a specific document processing device 320 and a specificconsumable product 322 via the account information 110. At some point intime, the customer returns the consumable 322 at 955 to the manufactureror a reseller 200. At the return center, the consumable identity is readat 956, and the return center (e.g., the manufacturer or reseller 200 orother return site having network access to the account manager system104) updates the account manager system 104 with the identity of thereceived consumable product 322. At 957, the account manager 104 usesthe received consumable ID to index the account information to ascertainthe identity of the associated device 320 and initiates one or moreautomatic refund actions as outlined above (e.g., adding account creditsand possible applying print units).

Referring to the process 960 in FIG. 14, in another implementation, theconsumable product 322 includes a writable memory and the device 320into which the consumable is installed at 961 writes its identity (thedevice's identity) into the consumable memory (CRUM) at 962 for use ininitiating automatic refund actions when the consumable is returned orat installation or both. In one implementation of this scenario, whenthe account manager system 104 determines that a consumable level is lowfor a given device 320 (e.g., through monitoring of the TPUU values 115f in FIG. 3), a replacement consumable product 322 is shipped to thecustomer, for example, along with a return envelope for the usedconsumable for return shipment. Once the consumable 322 is returned to arecycling center at 963, the CRUM data can be scanned and the serialnumber (identity) of the received consumable product 322 is sent to theaccount manager system 104 at 964. At 965, the account manager system104 initiates one or more automatic refund actions based on theidentified source device 320 and the known consumable identity.

Referring now to FIG. 15, the account manager system 104 may employ theaccount information 110 (FIG. 3) in a process 970 for initiating refundactions for consumable products 322 that do not include onboardelectronic memories. In this regard, serial numbers or other identityinformation can be tracked by the system 104 along with other customerregistration information so that the automatic or semiautomatic refundcredit process may be applied to recycle items that have a serial numberbut do not include a CRUM or other means of positive correlation to thedocument processing device 320 that the consumable 322 was associatedwith. Serial number information of such recycled consumables 322 can belinked in the system 104 to the device 320 for which they were initiallysent to be used such that when a customer returns the consumable 322,credit is provided to the corresponding customer account.

At 971 in FIG. 15, the account manager system 104 monitors one or moreconsumable levels (e.g., toner level(s)) for one or more devices 320registered to an account, such as through reports forwarded from themonitored devices 320 and corresponding updates to the accountinformation 110. For example, the devices 320 report updates to the TPUU(total print units used) value that are stored as values 115 f in thedevice subaccount information 115 for the devices 320 (FIG. 3). Theaccount manager system 104 can track these values, in conjunction withknowledge or estimation of the TPUU value at which a particularconsumable 322 was installed in the device 320 and known capacity valuesof the consumable 322 (e.g., number of print units possible perconsumable product 322), and determine when a particular documentprocessing device 320 needs or will soon need a replacement consumable322. At 972, the account manager system 104 automatically initiatesshipment of replacement consumables 322 based on monitored consumablelevels to the customer for a particular device 320 (with or withoutcorresponding email or other notice of shipment). The replacementconsumable 322 is shipped in certain embodiments along with a returnlabel, carton, and/or promotion code identifying the consumable/deviceassociation. At the time of the shipment, in one embodiment, the accountmanager system 104 automatically performs one or more automatic refundactions at 973 for all or a portion of the refund value, which can beaddition of account credits and possibly automatic application of printunits as discussed above. At some point, the customer returns thereplaced consumable product 322 at 974. When the consumable 322 isreceived at a return center at 975, the identity of the source device320 is read from the return label, carton and/or from the promotioncode, and the account manager system 104 is updated (e.g., via theportal 102) with the device identity information. At 976, the accountmanager system 104 uses the customer account and source device identityinformation to initiate one or more automatic refund actions.

FIG. 16 illustrates another exemplary process 980 in which the accountmanager initiates automatic consumable replacement actions based oninferred association of returned consumable 322 with a documentprocessing device 320 identified based on total print units used TPUUinformation 115 f of the account information 110 (FIG. 3). At 981 inFIG. 16, the customer returns a consumable product 322, and the returncenter updates the account manager system 104 at 982 with the returnedconsumable type and customer information from the corresponding shippinginformation. Knowing the customer identity, the account manager system104 infers the identity of the source document processing device 320 at983 from which the consumable 322 was returned based at least partiallyon tracking of the TPUU information 115 f (FIG. 3) for one or moredevices 320 registered to the customer's account. For example, if it isknown that the returned consumable device has a print unit capacity of Xprint units, the account manager system 104 can ascertain from theaccount information 110 the registered device subaccount(s) 115 forwhich the TPUU has changed by X units since shipment of a previousreplacement consumable of the same type to infer the source deviceidentity. Using this inference, the account manager system initiates oneor more automatic refund actions, including adding credits to thecorresponding customer account, and optionally sending a notificationemail to the customer and/or applying print units to the presumed sourcedevice 320.

The automatic or semi-automatic provision of account credits and/orprint unit application for returned consumables 322 advantageouslyencourages customer participation in consumable return/recyclingprograms since customers readily see the benefit for return compliancein their account credit and/or print unit balance, particularly when theaccount manager system 104 provides a timely email notification.Moreover, these techniques provide lower administration costs for themanufacturer/reseller 200 compared with conventional monetarycompensation or coupon programs for returned consumable products, sincea customer account already exists that can simply be credited by anamount determined by contractual return/refund provisions and/or asmodified by special enhanced refund offers (e.g., limited-time,customer-specific, region-specific, or other special offers, etc.). Fromthe customer's perspective, participation is encouraged by loweroperation costs associated with the office equipment and the customercan track their recycle participation by device 320 and/or department310.

In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, a computerreadable medium or media is provided, such as a computer memory, amemory within the server 100 or other computer-accessible memory such asa CD-ROM, floppy disk, flash drive, database, server, computer, etc.which has computer executable instructions for performing one or more ofthe processes disclosed above.

The above described examples are merely illustrative of several possibleembodiments of the present disclosure, wherein equivalent alterationsand/or modifications will occur to others skilled in the art uponreading and understanding this specification and the annexed drawings.In particular regard to the various functions performed by the abovedescribed components (assemblies, devices, systems, circuits, and thelike), the terms (including a reference to a “means”) used to describesuch components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated,to any component, such as hardware, processor-executed software orfirmware, or combinations thereof, which performs the specified functionof the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), eventhough not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure whichperforms the function in the illustrated implementations of thedisclosure. In addition, although a particular feature of the disclosuremay have been disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments,such feature may be combined with one or more other features of theother implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any givenor particular application. Also, to the extent that the terms“including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variants thereofare used in the detailed description and/or in the claims, such termsare intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising”. It will be appreciated that various of the above-disclosedand other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may bedesirably combined into many other different systems or applications,and further that various presently unforeseen or unanticipatedalternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may besubsequently made by those skilled in the art which are also intended tobe encompassed by the following claims.

1. A method for managing prepaid consumable return refund programs forat least one document processing device configured to allow customerinitiated operation based on available print units applied to thedevice, the method comprising: storing account information in a datastore for a plurality of accounts, the individual accounts beingassociated with a corresponding customer, the account information forindividual accounts comprising an available credits value indicating anamount of account credits currently available to the account; using acomputer processor, determining an association of a consumable with aparticular customer account; and using the computer processor,automatically adding credits to the particular customer account andadding a corresponding number of new credits to the available creditsvalue for the particular account for a full or partial return refundassociated with the consumable.
 2. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising automatically notifying (942) the customer of the addedaccount credits.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computerprocessor automatically adds the credits to the particular customeraccount when or after the consumable is returned by the customer.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the computer processor automatically adds thecredits to the particular customer account when or after the consumableis installed in a document processing device registered to the specificaccount.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the account information forindividual accounts further comprises current pricing informationincluding at least one conversion factor for converting account creditsavailable to the account to print units for specific document processingdevices registered to the account; the method further comprising: usingthe computer processor, determining an association of the consumablewith a particular document processing device; and using the computerprocessor, automatically applying print units to the particular documentprocessing device associated with the specific account by converting anumber credits currently available to the specific account into a numberof print units according to the specified document processing device andthe current pricing information for the specific account for a full orpartial return refund associated with the consumable.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, further comprising automatically notifying the customer of theapplied print units.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the computerprocessor automatically applies the print units to the particulardocument processing device when or after the consumable is returned bythe customer.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein the computer processorautomatically applies the print units to the particular documentprocessing device when or after the consumable is installed in theparticular document processing device.
 9. The method of claim 5, whereinthe computer processor determines the association of the consumable withthe particular document processing device at least partially based onthe account information.
 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the accountinformation for individual accounts further comprising registered deviceinformation including device subaccount information for a plurality ofdevice subaccounts individually associated with a particular documentprocessing device registered by the customer to the account, the devicesubaccount information for individual device subaccounts includingdocument processing device identity information identifying theparticular document processing device registered by the customer to theaccount and consumable identity information, and wherein the computerprocessor determines the association of the consumable with theparticular document processing device at least partially based on thedocument processing device identity information and the consumableidentity information of the account information.
 11. The method of claim10, further comprising receiving a consumable device identity in amessage from the particular document processing device and updating theconsumable identity information of the subaccount informationcorresponding to the particular document processing device based on thereceived consumable device identity using the computer processor. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein the account information for individualaccounts further comprising registered device information includingdevice subaccount information for a plurality of device subaccountsindividually associated with a particular document processing deviceregistered by the customer to the account, the device subaccountinformation for individual device subaccounts including documentprocessing device identity information identifying the particulardocument processing device registered by the customer to the account andtotal print units used information indicating the number of print unitsused by the particular document processing device, and wherein thecomputer processor determines the association of the consumable with theparticular document processing device at least partially based on thetotal print units used information of the account information.
 13. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising obtaining document processingdevice identity information from the consumable after the consumable isreturned, wherein the computer processor determines the association ofthe consumable with the particular document processing device at leastpartially based on the obtained document processing device identityinformation.
 14. The method of claim 5, further comprising: using thecomputer processor, monitoring a consumable level of the consumableinstalled in the particular document processing device; using thecomputer processor, determining that the particular document processingdevice needs or will soon need a replacement consumable based on themonitored consumable level; using the computer processor, causing areplacement consumable to be shipped to the customer for the particulardocument processing device.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein thecomputer processor automatically applies (973) the print units to theparticular document processing device when or after the replacementconsumable is shipped to the customer.
 16. The method of claim 15,further comprising automatically notifying the customer of the appliedprint units.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein automatically applyingprint units to the particular document processing device comprises:using the computer processor, automatically applying print units to theparticular document processing device associated with the specificaccount by converting a number credits currently available to thespecific account into a number of print units according to the specifieddocument processing device and the current pricing information for thespecific account for a partial return refund associated with theconsumable when or after the replacement consumable is shipped to thecustomer; and using the computer processor, automatically applying printunits to the particular document processing device associated with thespecific account by converting a number credits currently available tothe specific account into a number of print units according to thespecified document processing device and the current pricing informationfor the specific account for a remaining return refund associated withthe consumable when or after the particular consumable is returned bythe customer.
 18. A method for managing prepaid consumable return refundprograms for at least one document processing device configured to allowcustomer initiated operation based on available print units applied tothe device, the method comprising: storing account information in a datastore for a plurality of accounts, the individual accounts beingassociated with a corresponding customer, the account information forindividual accounts comprising: an available credits value indicating anamount of account credits currently available to the account, andcurrent pricing information including at least one conversion factor forconverting account credits available to the account to print units forspecific document processing devices registered to the account; using acomputer processor, determining an association of a consumable with aparticular customer account; using the computer processor, determiningan association of the consumable with a particular document processingdevice registered to the particular customer account; and using thecomputer processor, automatically applying print units to the particulardocument processing device associated with the specific accountaccording to the specified document processing device and the currentpricing information for the specific account for a full or partialreturn refund associated with the consumable.
 19. The method of claim18, further comprising automatically notifying the customer of theapplied print units.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the computerprocessor automatically applies the print units to the particulardocument processing device when or after the consumable is returned bythe customer.
 21. The method of claim 18, wherein the computer processorautomatically applies the print units to the particular documentprocessing device when or after the consumable is installed in theparticular document processing device.
 22. The method of claim 18,wherein the computer processor determines the association of theconsumable with the particular document processing device at leastpartially based on the account information.
 23. The method of claim 22,wherein the account information for individual accounts furthercomprising registered device information including device subaccountinformation for a plurality of device subaccounts individuallyassociated with a particular document processing device registered bythe customer to the account, the device subaccount information forindividual device subaccounts including document processing deviceidentity information identifying the particular document processingdevice registered by the customer to the account and consumable identityinformation, and wherein the computer processor determines theassociation of the consumable with the particular document processingdevice at least partially based on the document processing deviceidentity information and the consumable identity information of theaccount information.
 24. The method of claim 23, further comprisingreceiving a consumable device identity in a message from the particulardocument processing device and updating the consumable identityinformation of the subaccount information corresponding to theparticular document processing device based on the received consumabledevice identity using the computer processor.
 25. The method of claim22, wherein the account information for individual accounts furthercomprising registered device information including device subaccountinformation for a plurality of device subaccounts individuallyassociated with a particular document processing device registered bythe customer to the account, the device subaccount information forindividual device subaccounts including document processing deviceidentity information identifying the particular document processingdevice registered by the customer to the account and total print unitsused information indicating the number of print units used by theparticular document processing device, and wherein the computerprocessor determines the association of the consumable with theparticular document processing device at least partially based on thetotal print units used information of the account information.
 26. Themethod of claim 18, further comprising obtaining document processingdevice identity information from the consumable after the consumable isreturned, wherein the computer processor determines the association ofthe consumable with the particular document processing device at leastpartially based on the obtained document processing device identityinformation.
 27. The method of claim 18, further comprising: using thecomputer processor, monitoring a consumable level of the consumableinstalled in the particular document processing device; using thecomputer processor, determining that the particular document processingdevice needs or will soon need a replacement consumable based on themonitored consumable level; using the computer processor, causing areplacement consumable to be shipped to the customer for the particulardocument processing device.
 28. An account manager system for managingprepaid consumable return refund programs for at least one documentprocessing device configured to allow customer initiated operation basedon available print units applied to the device, the system comprising: aserver operatively coupled with a network to communicate and exchangedata with one or more customer networks; a data store operativelycoupled with the server to store account information for a plurality ofaccounts, the individual accounts being associated with a correspondingcustomer, the account information for individual accounts comprising anavailable credits value indicating an amount of account creditscurrently available to the account; and an account management componentoperatively coupled with the data store and the server to determine anassociation of a consumable with a particular customer account, toautomatically add credits to the particular customer account, and to adda corresponding number of new credits to the available credits value forthe particular account for a full or partial return refund associatedwith the consumable.
 29. The account manager system of claim 28, whereinthe account information for individual accounts further comprisescurrent pricing information including at least one conversion factor forconverting account credits available to the account to print units forspecific document processing devices registered to the account; whereinthe account management component is further operative to determine anassociation of the consumable with a particular document processingdevice, and to automatically apply print units to the particulardocument processing device associated with the specific account byconverting a number credits currently available to the specific accountinto a number of print units according to the specified documentprocessing device and the current pricing information for the specificaccount for a full or partial return refund associated with theconsumable.
 30. An account manager system for managing prepaidconsumable return refund programs for at least one document processingdevice configured to allow customer initiated operation based onavailable print units applied to the device, the system comprising: aserver operatively coupled with a network to communicate and exchangedata with one or more customer networks; a data store operativelycoupled with the server to store account information for a plurality ofaccounts, the individual accounts being associated with a correspondingcustomer, the account information for individual accounts comprising: anavailable credits value indicating an amount of account creditscurrently available to the account, and current pricing informationincluding at least one conversion factor for converting account creditsavailable to the account to print units for specific document processingdevices registered to the account; and an account management componentoperatively coupled with the data store and the server to determine anassociation of a consumable with a particular customer account, todetermine an association of the consumable with a particular documentprocessing device registered to the particular customer account, and toautomatically apply print units to the particular document processingdevice associated with the specific account according to the specifieddocument processing device and the current pricing information for thespecific account for a full or partial return refund associated with theconsumable.